The Best Way to Build Big Legs
By Jason Ferruggia
The best way to build big legs is to squat. End of discussion. It’s that simple. There is no leg press, leg extension, leg curl or hack squat machine that could ever come close. For that matter there is no other free weight exercise that could ever touch the squat either. Not step ups, split squats, lunges, pistols, sled drags, jumps or sprints. Squats are simply the be all, end all exercise when it comes to building huge legs. Nothing will ever get the job done more effectively than good old fashioned barbell back squats (not hack squats, front squats or box squats either, although they are good for variety).
Beginners should squat three times per week and keep their reps low. Something along the lines of 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps would be perfect. Be sure to work on mastering your form and getting all the way down past parallel while maintaining an arch in your lower back. If your butt tucks and your lower back rounds at the bottom you will have to work on your hip mobility and perhaps take a wider stance and concentrate on opening up your knees at the bottom. Hamstring and hip flexor tightness may also be a problem here as well. So be sure to stretch both muscle groups thoroughly and frequently. It wouldn’t hurt to stretch your calves either, prior to a heavy squat session.
You need to be sure to break parallel because that is when your hamstrings and glutes come into play. If you only squat half way down you are only working your quads and thus only targeting half of your legs. If you want to maximize leg growth you need to work the hamstrings as well. Not only that but squatting half way causes much more knee stress than a full squat does and can lead to imbalances and future problems. So squat all the way or don’t squat at all.
Assuming you can squat with proper form and are doing so three times per week the only thing you need to be concerned with is constantly adding weight to the bar and getting stronger and stronger over time. The best way to build big legs is not only to squat but squat heavy. Double bodyweight should be a requirement of all serious lifters. With some dedication, hard training and big eating that is an easily achievable goal for anyone.
Over time beginners should reduce their squatting frequency from three times per week down to twice and eventually just once. When you go from squatting 135 for sets of 8 to squatting 405 for sets of 8 you will need a lot more recovery time between sessions. After a few months of serious squatting when you have perfected your technique with heavy weight and low reps you should start to experiment with higher rep squats. In fact high rep squatting in the range of 15-25 reps is the absolute single best way to build big legs. But you have to beyond the newbie stage to do it or you will get hurt and won’t get anything out of it. For intermediate and advanced lifters however, high rep squatting will pack size on your legs like nothing else.
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